Some places still will have a bang on 4th

Fireworks shows and sales can be found in area.

Fireworks Past: Joseph Flores, who lives two blocks away from Woodlawn Lake, holds his American Flag as he does every year as the fireworks light up the sky at the City of San Antonio 4th of July Celebration at Woodlawn Lake, Wednesday, July 4, 2001. (Bob Owen/Staff)

Photo By JOE BARRERA/Express-News

Fireworks Past: The Basilica of the National Shrine of Little Flower steeples frame the fireworks display at Woodlawn Lake Friday July 4, 2003. (Joe Barrera Jr./Staff)

Fireworks Past: Despite recent rains and heavy flooding in the area, San Antonians came out to Woodlawn Lake to take in a Fourth of July celebration topped off with a fireworks display on Thursday July 4, 2002. (Kin Man Hui/staff)

Photo By TOM REEL/Express-News

Fireworks Past: Spectators record the start of the Woodlawn Lake fireworks display with camera phones July 4, 2007. (Tom Reel/Staff)

Photo By TOM REEL/Express-News

Fireworks Past: A spectator watches the H.E.B. Extravaganza fireworks display at Woodlawn Lake July 4, 2006 from under the cover of an umbrella as rainy skies put a damper on the celebration. (Tom Reel/Staff)

Photo By LISA KRANTZ/Express-News

Fireworks Past: Henry Guzman, 11, Jessica Guzman,12, and Frank Guzman, 11, watch the fireworks during Hope Events' Freedom Reigns, an Independence Day celebration hosted by First Assembly of God, in San Antonio on Monday, July 4, 2005. (Lisa Krantz/Staff)

Photo By TOM REEL/Express-News

Fireworks Past: Spectators record the start of the Woodlawn Lake fireworks display with camera phones July 4, 2007. (TOM REEL/STAFF

San Antonio, Austin, New Braunfels, Boerne, Seguin.

One by one, professionally staged Fourth of July fireworks shows have been canceled across the dangerously dry South Texas landscape, while county after county has banned sale and personal use of fireworks.

But fireworks still can be legally enjoyed in dozens of Texas communities — some not far from Bexar.

Over the holiday weekend, popular fireworks shows will proceed as usual in Kerrville, Kyle, Runge and Corpus Christi. People seeking fireworks for their own use — illegal inside San Antonio and many other cities — can do so in Gonzales, Zavala and several other South Texas counties.

“We may have lots of visitors,” Gonzales County Judge David Bird said Tuesday, after learning his community was the closest to San Antonio with some lawful sales. The county received from 1 to 4 inches of rain last week, averting a wider sales ban.

Vendors there agreed to wait until Saturday to begin sales, and they won't be allowed to sell aerial fireworks, Bird said. Stands in Gonzales, Waelder and Nixon will start stocking goods on Friday, Bird said.

According to data compiled last week by the Texas Department of Public Safety, 163 of Texas' 254 counties have fireworks bans in place, leaving 91 with lawful sales, though some prohibit aerial devices such as rockets with fins. On Monday, Frio County joined the list of those with bans in effect through July 5.

Other area counties with lawful sales include McMullen, Live Oak, Bee and Goliad counties, along with most coastal counties and almost all of Northeast Texas, including Dallas-Fort Worth. But according to the same DPS data, the High Plains, South Plains, Southeast and West Texas regions have full bans or heavy restrictions this year, as do Bexar and the seven surrounding counties.

For San Antonio-based Alamo Fireworks Inc., the restrictions mean its vendors are no closer than Beeville, Victoria and Corpus Christi.

“I hope it rains and the (Bexar County) judge lets us open back up,” Alamo Fireworks President Michael Girdley said. “That's pretty much what I go to bed thinking about every night.”

In the meantime, the company is monitoring the plethora of bans, which vary from place to place.

“Some prohibit certain items. Some have declared a disaster, and that restricts us on when we're open, but we can sell everything,” Girdley said. “It's really hard when you're dealing with 250-odd counties,” he said, adding “we really don't want people to break the law.”

Karnes County is among several that banned sales but decided not to call off a fireworks show. County Judge Barbara Shaw said the show in Runge on Saturday was granted the county's lone exemption under its disaster declaration.

“You have to have a fire department there, and they have to have the equipment and water to handle anything,” Shaw said.

The annual event in Runge should be another crowd-pleaser, she said, thanks to the usual donations of “really expensive, high-tech fireworks.” This year's crowd likely will include workers who have descended on the area for the Eagle Ford shale play, she added.

Besides the theme park, military and Woodlawn Lake Park fireworks shows in San Antonio, events were canceled in Fredericksburg, Floresville, San Marcos and Schertz, though Schertz and others plan laser shows in lieu of fireworks.

Seguin on Tuesday became the latest community to cancel its fireworks show, which would have been the closest to San Antonio.

The decision followed a statewide plea from DPS for voluntary cancelation of all fireworks use.

“Although fireworks are a traditional way to celebrate holidays like the Fourth of July, we are urging cities, counties and families to cancel fireworks plans this year,” said DPS Director Steve McCraw.

“It's just too dry, and our firefighting resources are stretched too thin to be able to cope with potentially massive outbreaks of fires caused by fireworks,” he said.